Sykophunk Productions
Biography Sykophunk Productions is an indie label founded in 2008 by Joseph VanBuren. Other than being a record label, it also serves as the publishing company for all of VanBuren's projects, as well as running the rEvolution Radio online station and two blogs: rEvolution Underground and DIO (Do It Ourselves). According to the official website, the goals of Sykophunk Productions are to "make music that is interesting and has some substance to it, to get the music out to people looking for something new, and to help other artists and labels in similar positions." The company has created partnerships with other indie labels, including Khaos Records out of Miami, and Dark Offerings Entertainment out of North Carolina. Collaboration and Affiliations The main purpose of creating Sykophunk Productions was to give VanBuren an avenue to release his own material. At the same time, his sense of collaboration and networking shows in the actions of the company. For example, the online release of the Collaboremixtape compilation was a way to promote other artists that D-O-E has worked with by exposing their work to a broader audience. The song "Cemetery Flowers" (D-O-E featuring Christel South) has topped the charts on websites like BetaRecords.com and SongVault.com, giving both contributing artists global recognition through the online community. For the release of D-O-E's album 3 Dimensions of Truth, Sykophunk Productions joined forces with another new indie label, Khaos Records, based out of Florida. The album is technically a Khaos Records release, though both companies work together to market and promote it. This is the beginning of a cooperative relationship intended to expand the fanbase of the artists on both labels. The joint effort is a prime example of how Sykophunk Productions claims to view other indie labels and artists as potential partners rather than competition. In September 2009, Sykophunk Productions released Deconstruction, a collection of collaborations and remixes. Along with sykophunk artists D-O-E, Dostah Shilailee, and Triple Vision, the tracks also feature underground artists from all over the U.S. and the U.K., including frequent collab partners Christel South and GrimWitch. In October 2009, Tales from the Dark Domain was released, a joint compilation with Dark Offerings Entertainment. Every artist from each label is featured in this collection of horror-inspired music for the Halloween season, available only as streaming audio on an interactive website. Simultaneously, a Dostah Shilailee album of the same name was also released on CD. Sykophunk Weekly On February 6, 2009, Sykophunk Productions began hosting Sykophunk Weekly on its web site (sykophunk.com). Through Sykophunk Weekly, the label released a new song every Friday for free download, including tracks from all of its currently active artists. Originally, Sykophunk Productions announced that Sykophunk Weekly would be online until the release of D-O-E's next album Be Middle Class or Die Trying (released on May 5, 2009); it actually continued until the release of Dostah Shilailee's album A Collage of Clairaudience: Part One on July 24, 2009. At that point, sykophunk.com began offering a monthly album for free download instead of weekly songs. The last album to be offered was joe DOE's mixtape EP, Who the Hell is joe DOE?!, in November 2009. Sykophunk Weekly is still updated every Friday in the form of an online journal, with free downloads offered randomly. Phuk Your Idea of a Mixtape Free downloads on Sykophunk Weekly returned in June 2010, with the gradual release of a mixtape/collaboration collection called Deeper Than Underground 2010. The title pays homage to a Triple Vision album from 2006. In August 2010, the entire collection (plus the original Who the Hell is joe DOE?! tracks and some previously unheard Democalypse remixes) was made available for free download under the title Phuk Your Idea of a Mixtape. Dark Domain In September 2010, Sykophunk Productions returned to the tradition of posting horror-themed music on their Dark Domain page. The songs (including new remixes of classic sykophunk horror tracks) remained available until Halloween. Roster of Artists * joe DOE formerly known as D-O-E * Triple Vision * Dostah Shilailee * Domino Effect * Mother Prick of Misery Key Releases * joe DOE: Seximer (EP, 2010) * joe DOE: Phuk Your Idea of a Mixtape (mixtape, 2010) * joe DOE: Democalypse (LP, 2010) * D-O-E: Be Middle Class or Die Trying (LP, 2009) * Deconstruction (LP compilation, 2009) * Dostah Shilailee: A Collage of Clairaudience (digital LP, 2009) * Collaboremixtape (LP compilation, 2008) * D-O-E: Grimey Poetry (LP mixtape, 2008) External Links * Official Sykophunk Productions website * rEvolution Underground blog * Do It Ourselves blog Category:Label